Tag Archives: Jamie Vardy

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are thought to be putting together a shocking move for Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, according to ESPN.

Vardy has been comfortably the best forward in the Premier League since the start of the season, and already has 10 goals to his name.

Even more impressively, Vardy has scored in seven consecutive Premier League games, which puts him in a category alongside a very select group of players.

Would it work?

At first, it seems ridiculous that either club would come calling for a player who was only playing for Fleetwood Town in 2012.

However, Vardy has been in incredible form since the start of the season.

He also seems to fit into both Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino’s preferred systems.

Klopp would be delighted to have a striker with such incredible pressing and running ability to spearhead his forward line.

Pochettino could use him to alternate with Harry Kane, given the lack of options currently available to him.

However, it remains to be seen if Vardy is the real deal or whether this is just a sudden run of form.

Liverpool have been burned before, signing Rickie Lambert last season before quickly realising he was not good enough for a club the size of the Anfield side.

It’s hard to see Vardy carrying this on much longer, and even if he does, he currently has a perfect foil behind him in Riyad Mahrez.

Both clubs might do better looking at the playmaking midfielder, who was an underrated part of the run that kept Leicester in the Premier League last season.

Furthermore, considering the massive premium they will both pay for Vardy at this point, it might be worth considering finding the next Vardy rather than taking a punt on a 28-year-old.

Klopp said as much when introduced as Liverpool manager – that he prefers to find players like Robert Lewandowski, who he signed for less than £1 million while at Borussia Dortmund, than signing players for big money.

Rumour rater

Vardy is under contract at Leicester for another three years.

However, there is no way he’ll be earning as much at the King Power Stadium as he would at either Anfield or White Hart Lane.

To an extent, this could just be an attempt by Vardy or his representatives to increase his wages ahead of a January window in which the Foxes will be incredibly worried about losing him.

Vardy is in a more powerful position for negotiation than at any other point in his career, and could secure a contract to set him up for the rest of his life.

On the other hand, it is really not surprising to hear that top sides are chasing Vardy, who has been exceptional over the calendar year.

Neither club would be particularly foolish to sign him, so this might be one that brews as we approach January.

There has been a constant train of successful non-league strikers stepping up to the Football League in recent seasons.

The most notable of these is undoubtedly Charlie Austin, who has began to score on a more regular basis for Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League, having played for sides like Kintbury Rangers, Hungerford Town and Poole Town less than eight years ago.

There have been others, however, and it is increasingly clear that players from the bottom can have an impact on the top-level of the game, no matter how far they’ve fallen.

Here are seven things that prove non-league stars can step up:

1. Jermaine Beckford scored a goal every other game in his first season in League One with Leeds United

2. Steve Morison bullied League One defences, scoring 35 goals in two seasons for Millwall

3. Dwight Gayle stepped up to the Premier League in only two years after leaving non-league, costing Crystal Palace a club record £4.5 million

Here he is ending Liverpool’s title hopes last season.

4. Jamie Vardy struggled, scoring only four goals in 26 games after his £1 million move to Leicester City, but played a key role as they beat Manchester United 5-3 in the Premier League this season

Unlucky Louis.

5. Jermaine Beckford scored the goal as Leeds beat their biggest rivals Man Utd away from home for the first time since 1981. In the same season, he scored a last-minute equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur and the goal that won Leeds promotion

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, who scored against Manchester United on Sunday, has said that the club did their research on Louis van Gaal’s formation and realised that there was an opportunity to exploit his side as a result of his tactics, as reported by BBC Sport.

Vardy was also keen to point out that while the Old Trafford club’s attacking options are genuinely worth worrying about, the nature of the side’s squad that it is possible to make opportunities.

He said: “As soon as we got back into it we were on a massive high, the crowd were right behind us. We created chances and we put them all away.

“We had done our research this week and their attacking options are frightening but the diamond formation they play leaves a lot of space behind the full-backs and we looked to exploit that.

“I am proud of the performance today but the main thing is that we got three points.

“This is a dream come true but I wont let it go to my head. I’ll get back for the Manchester City-Chelsea game and relax on the sofa.”

The former Fleetwood Town striker has had a crazy route to being a Premier League player. Having been released by Sheffield Wednesday’s academy when a youngster, he moved to Stocksbridge Park Steels.

From there, after 107 appearances, he joined FC Halifax Town, where he scored 29 in 41 games. A year at Fleetwood Town saw him score 31 in 36 games, and from here he was snapped up by Leicester City for £1 million.

After winning promotion with them last season as champions, he got his rewards for his efforts by scoring against Man Utd to send his side to a huge win.